The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is the most competitive in college basketball.
The Florida Gators won the national championship last year after a great run of twelve straight. The Florida Gators are ranked No. 3 in the preseason Associated Press (AP) top 25 poll, and have lost guards Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin, and Will Richard to the draft.
The Gators have filled these holes with transfers: sophomore sensation guard Boogie Fland (Arkansas) and senior Xaivian Lee (Princeton). Fland injured his hand at the end of the season; and left fans questioning whether he would leave for the draft or stay in college basketball. Lee averaged nearly 17 points per game, which will help the Gators with scoring this season. The reigning champs are looking good coming into the season.
Tennessee signed No. 4 recruit in the upcoming class, Nate Ament, who is the highest-ranked recruit in Tennessee’s program’s history. Ament is a 6-foot-10 forward who can handle the ball and stretch the floor like a guard. Tennessee lost star four-year seniors Chaz Lanier, Zakai Zeigler, and Jahmai Mashack to the draft, but will have a young core of players replacing them in Nate Ament, Ja’Kobi Gillespie, and Cade Phillips. The Volunteers are more than capable of staying at the top of the SEC, with veteran coach Rick Barnes leading them.
Kentucky was stacked with seniors last year, which helped propel them to a No. 3 seed in March Madness. Lamont Butler, Koby Brea and Jaxson Robinson were among the key seniors who left for the draft last year. New talent came rushing in when Kentucky landed transfer Jayden Quaintance from Arizona State, an upcoming sophomore from Cleveland, Ohio. Quaintance was ranked 17th in the 2024 class and a five–star recruit, but suffered an ACL injury last February.
Head coach Mark Pope believes that Quaintance should be able to come back and play at the start of the season. Otega Oweh is the only starter returning from last year, averaging 16.2 points per game, and was named the SEC Preseason Player of the Year. Oweh will play a bigger role this season and will need to showcase his talent with fewer weapons around him this year.
Alabama has started to become a powerhouse in college basketball, with an Elite Eight and Final Four in the last two years. Head coach Nate Oats has been a crucial addition to the Alabama program to turn them in the right direction since being hired five years ago. Sophomore Labaron Philon and junior Aden Holloway are the players who need to step up for the Crimson Tide this season.
Philon was named preseason first-team All-SEC and freshman All-SEC last year, as a smart point guard with good size at 6-foot-4 but he needs to become a better scorer this season if Alabama wants to be a contender.
Holloway was named preseason third-team All-SEC because of his outstanding shooting ability. Holloway shot 41% from 3-point range last season, which he will need to continue this year for the Crimson Tide.
Auburn fans received some shocking news over the offseason. Head coach Bruce Pearl resigned, and his son, Steven Pearl, was named head coach for the Auburn Tigers. Bruce Pearl said he considered running for the U.S. Senate seat, but will remain an assistant to the athletic director at Auburn. He said that he could not give 100 percent to Auburn basketball after being surrounded by college basketball for almost 50 years, so he decided to step down.
Good and bad news for new coach Steven Pearl: Tahaad Pettiford will return after a sensational freshman season, but arguably the best player last year, Johni Broome, left and got drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers. Pettiford earned freshman All-SEC previous season, and shone during March Madness and averaged 17.3 points until the Final Four, where Auburn lost to Florida 79-73.
Pettiford is a shifty and quick guard who can drive and shoot, which makes up for his lack of size. Auburn landed senior transfer Keyshawn Hall from the University of Central Florida (UCF), a lengthy and scoring guard who averaged 18.8 points last season for the UCF Knights. Hall will need to continue to be a key scorer for this Auburn team, like he was at UCF.
